Ditching-machine.



E. D. YOUNG.

DITGHING MACHINE.

urmonmn FILED mm. 1, 190a.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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EDMUND D. YOUNG, OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS.

DITCHING-MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND D. Yours, a citizen of the United States, residing in Waukegan, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ditching-h/lachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for digging ditches or trenches, such for in stance as are required in nurseries and gardens.

The machine is adapted to be drawn by horses or an automobile and is automatic in the performance of its function of forming .the trench or ditch.

The object of the invention is to furnish a machine of this class which shall be durable, simple in construction, easy of operation, and generally speaking, an improvement upon previous machines employed in the same class of work.

The nature of the invention is fully disclosed below, and will be well understood from the description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a plan and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the invention. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal vertical section. Figs. 4. and 5 are partial transverse vertical sections upon different planes. Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section showing the means for adjusting the height of the digging apparatus. Fig. 7 is av horizontal section of the scoop.

In said drawing, 8 and 9 represent the carrying wheels by which the machine is supported and from which the dirt lifting devices are operated. The wheels are mounted upon the outwardly bent ends of an axle 10, the central portion of which is bent forwardly in a horizontal direction as plainly shown in the drawing, so as to partially surround the machine. To the front of the axle, the tongue 11 to which the horses are attached, is secured by clips 12 at either side.

The ditching devices are located within a rectangular frame 13 arranged between the bends .of the axle, and such devices consist of a scoop or shovel 14, made with vertical side walls and a bottom and of considerable length as seen at Fig. 7, and a disk lifting wheel 15 located in a housing 16 mounted on the scoop, and operated by power from the wheel 8, and acting to take up the dirt as it is gathered or collected in the scoop and to throw it over on to the distributing deflector 17 located in said housing and over the scoop as shown at Fig. 3. The forward edges of the scoop are made sharp as will be understood so they will readily penetrate the earth, and the front being made with a rising inclination, the device is adapted to lift a continuous section of earth, agreeing in cross section with the cross section, form and dimensions of the scoop, and to conduct it to the lifting wheel, which is rotated at a suitable speed, and cuts into it and catches it in small portions and carries it up and over its axis and throws it down on to the deflector. This deflector consists of two plates sloping in opposite directions toward the sides of the ditch, so that it is adapted to divide the dirt into two portions and deliver them on opposite sides of the cut, and at a suflicient distance so that it will not roll or fall back into the same. The wheel is adapted to break up the soil into small portions as will be understood from Fig. 3, and hence when it falls on the deflector, it is in condition to slide off the same readily.

As a precaution to prevent the caving of the side walls of the ditch formed by the machine, I make the sides of the scoop to extend backward quite a distance and so they will wedge the earth or compact it as they pass along in the ditch. This is done by making the sides to flare outwardly toward the rear, as will be noticed from Fig. 7.

The overthrowing wheel is mounted on a rotating sleeve mounted on shaft 18 sup ported in the depending plates 19 attached to the frame 13. At one end of this sleeve is a small sprocket wheel 20, from which a chain 21 extends to a larger sprocket 22 on the forward part of the main side. This sprocket 22 is fast upon a sleeve 23 on the axle, which sleeve also carries a small sprocket 24 which connects by a chain 25 with a large sprocket 26 on the hub of wheel 8. By these devices the wheel is rotated as will be understood. The frame 13 is given an additional bend forward as at 27 to accommodate the sprocket 22 as will be noticed.

The frame 13 is supported at the front by passing the main aXle through its side memhere, as shown, and at the rear it is adjustably supported by the spring blades or plates 28 which are bolted to the axle at each side near the wheels, and engage the vertical ratchets 29 which are secured to the sides of the frame. The plates 28 have handles 30 by which they may be sprung into and out. of the ratchets at will, so the vertical adjustments of the frame which regulate tne action of the digging devices are quickly and easily effected. The devices described permit the lifting of the shovel or scoop entirely above the ground, so that the machine may be moved from place to place without working.

The power for propelling the scoop forward is carried to it by the curved beam 31 which is united to a cross bar 32 attached to the bottom of the scoop as shown, and extends thence upward and over the housing and is united to the frame 13 at the front of the latter. Thisbeam is also utilized as a means of adjusting the inclination of the scoop, a hand lever 33 being pivoted upon an arched cross beam 34, supported at its ends by the frame 13, such lever having a dog 35 engaging the ratchet 36 upon beam 3%, and being pivoted at its end to beam 31 as shown at 37.

I claim 1* l. The. combination in a. ditching machine of a scoop or shovel adapted to form a flat bottomed ditch, a winged wheel located over the dislodged dirt and acting to lift and throw it forward, and a device receiving the dirt so thrown and deflecting it to the side of the ditch.

The ditching machine having arfiat bottomed scoop or shovel, with its sides extending backward and gradually flaring outwardly so they will compact the earth in the side walls of the ditch.

3. The combination in a ditching machine, of a scoop or shovel adapted to form a ditch, a device back of the scoop or shovel receiving the dirt therefrom and acting to lift and throw it forward, and a device receiving the dirt so thrown and deflecting it to the side of the ditch.

EDMUND D. YOUNG. Vitnesses V. C. Ur'ron, J. L. BEDDING. 

